deskthority

Please suggest nominees for the Best keycaps in 2013. You have to give a short motivation for each suggestion. It is not a requirement that the keycaps were released in 2013. If you think some vintage keycaps were the best, you can suggest them.

Current suggestions (this list is frequently updated):

• APL tripleshot beamspring keycaps
• CMYK-Modifiers from IvanIvanovich' GMK GB
• "23 Commando" high-profile keyset
• Round 4 sphericals
• Retro DSA
• Signature Plastics keycaps
• Round 5 keycaps not in production yet
• Topre's Hi-Pro
• BSP Europe's dye sub PBT keycaps
• "Imsto" thick PBT keycaps
• Filco double-shot high-profile keyset
• Iron Masks I and II in gold, silver and black
• Fct keycap
• Cherry dye subs PBT keycaps
• Cherry clear orange polycarb on white replica set
• GMK Dolch keycaps from Originative

Personally a fan of the APL Keycaps on the Beamspring board mr_a500 has. Not only are they awesome looking, they're triple shot; something that not many companies do when secondary text.

http://deskthority.net/photos-videos-f8 ... ml#p103766

I'd propose the CMYK-Modifiers from IvanIvanovich's GMK GB. They look just super awesome!
http://i426.photobucket.com/albums/pp34 ... g~original

http://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=456 ... msg1114226
This GB turned out great.

rindorbrot wrote:I'd propose the CMYK-Modifiers from IvanIvanovich's GMK GB. They look just super awesome!
http://i426.photobucket.com/albums/pp34 ... g~original

Photobucket disagrees, it seems!

Too soon to nominate Round 5 I guess? Naturally, I'm super biased to like Honeywell replicas!

Round 4 sphericals!!!!

Retro DSA of course!

DSA sucks!


Can't even type on them ...

Cap fight!

(7bit's always going to win on ammunition alone. Find cover!)

Signature Plastics for great key caps and just being so forthcoming and flexible regarding the needs of the community.

hmm, I am the exact opposite on the subject SP. Let the community make the work, and delievers at best average quality (imo worse qly).
SP would do nothing without the hard workers of the community.

Sorry for having no legitimate suggestion by myself....

If SP's competitors were anywhere near as nimble and willing to work with the community, we would have a pretty amazing landscape of GBs right now. No one's perfect, but SP lets 7bit, Matt3o and others put together something special for all of us. Round 4 SPH is as good as any classic caps I've tried, and doesn't look out of place alongside titans like Microswitch Hall effect caps.

Ivan's many troubles reaching MOQ with GMK is a taste of what things would be like without SP. Slow, that's for sure.

Round 5

Surprised no-one's mentioned Topre's Hi-Pro, though they're not to my tastes.

IIRC, didn't SP also make the new Filco doubleshots in addition to the group buys? A commercial product with doubleshots is pretty good going.

Muirium wrote: Ivan's many troubles reaching MOQ with GMK is a taste of what things would be like without SP. Slow, that's for sure.

I am not sure about that, I think SP's flexibility and "cheap" prices is partly why GMK group buys is unsuccessful and painfully slow. People just adapt to what is available and always go for the easiest choice.

Yes, SP also made those high profile DS Filco key caps (another point to SP)


I'd like to nominate BSP Europe's dye sub PBT key caps. They have a very high quality and smooth feel to them and top notch print.

Daniel Beardsmore wrote:Surprised no-one's mentioned Topre's Hi-Pro, though they're not to my tastes.

Whoops! Consider them nominated now. I put a word in for the keyboard in the full size prize, but forgot the caps as a separate category. They are the stars.

Broadmonkey wrote:I think SP's flexibility and "cheap" prices is partly why GMK group buys is unsuccessful and painfully slow. People just adapt to what is available and always go for the easiest choice.

Looking at my Round 5 order, I wouldn't call SP cheap either. Flexibility is where they have the lead. There's nothing stopping their competitors from lowering MOQs and communicating with the community better, besides a sense of risk I suppose. Unicomp seem almost oblivious to our existence, but GMK surely isn't thanks to Ivan. Instead, what's failing is a willingness to compete.

Broadmonkey wrote:I'd like to nominate BSP Europe's dye sub PBT key caps. They have a very high quality and smooth feel to them and top notch print.

I must try them sometime. All my PBTs are IBM.

Yes! Topre HiPro. My favourite modern keycaps.

The "Imsto" thick PBT caps!

FILCO double-shot high profile keyset!
http://www.diatec.co.jp/shop/2cmold/

Bacause of FILCO makes this set, we can get SA double-shot J-shape return and SA 4.5x spacebar from Signature Plastics.

Iron Masks I and II in Gold Silver and Black

Gas Mask Corp

Even if I guess it is a real outsider, I'd like to nominate this Fct keycap:
of an ITT Standard Elektrik Lorenz keyboard (most probably a Btx terminal keyboard) I was able to get some time ago:

retro dsa

Cherry Dye Subs. They are still my favourites.

Cherry Replica Set (clear orange polycarb on white)
they might just make it within 2013
http://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=50292.0;topicseen

Brilliant way to show off doubleshot caps. Also it's the pioneer set that will bring community sourced/paid cherry legends to SP groupbuys.

GMK Dolch from Originative

Brand new thick abs GMK Dolch, but with windowed lock caps! Love my set